


Cough Syrup

by KZDipped



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: As is typical around Tom, Explosions, Future AU, I love future au's, Impossible feats of survival, It's just such a wide open concept, especially blue leader, so many possibilities, which is probably very obvious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KZDipped/pseuds/KZDipped
Summary: Edd has fallen out of contact with all his old friends.  Tord, obviously, isn't around anymore, too busy with taking over the world.  Tom disappeared years ago, his death soon after publicly reported on television, assumed dead in a terrorist attack that killed 50 others.  Matt's drifted away too, taking a career in modelling.  But it's alright, Edd's gotten used to being alone.  No bitterness, he's fine.Yeah, that's not going to last long.





	1. The End

Crack-boom! The rumble of falling building crashed in the soldiers’ ears as the last of them scrambled to get away from their target. Red Leader stood next to his two seconds-in-command, as they shouted instructions to the evacuating recruits. Helicopters and vans started to pull out, returning to base; but the leader kept his eyes trained on the quickly falling wreckage. As the man to his right, Paul, waved the last group of soldiers forward, he muttered, “He’s not coming out.”

The man on his left, Patryck, looked at him reassuringly. “He’ll be fine, he always is.”

“Still.” They stood in silence for a moment, watching as the last of the building seemed to settle into a still rather large pile of rubble. “I shouldn’t have sent him in alone.”

“You always send him in alone, stop worrying.” Paul sounded calm, but the way he was chewing on his cigarette said otherwise. “He’ll make it out.”

A soldier broke off from the group and saluted them. “Sirs! There is a risk of a secondary explosion, I'd recommend you moved back…”

“We’re still-“ Red Leader was cut off by a sudden explosion. What little remained of the building was now either blown up or on fire. “No…” Rubble rained down, and the little group backed up instinctively.

“Tord, I know you don’t want to leave, I don’t either, but…” Pat gazed at the fiery wreck, biting his lip. “Chance of survival is-“

“Get the last of the soldiers out of here, we’re moving out.”

Paul and Patryck looked after Tord in surprise, as he strode back towards the cars. “Tord?” Paul hurried forward, talking in a low voice. “Are you sure-“

“Don’t.” Tord’s voice was quiet, calm. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“…Yes sir.” Paul fell back into pace with his partner, and the last of Red Army left the scene.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building just moments before…

Edd stared at the now wreckage of the abandoned building as the last of it collapsed. He had been on a grocery run before heading back to his flat, only to see the explosion occur across the street. He had shielded his face from the dust cloud, dropping his groceries unfortunately, and was now watching people run out of the last standing parts of the structure, all clad in similar almost military-type uniforms. With mild interest, he watched as people half-carried half-dragged those who were injured, and wondered just what they had all been doing in there. No emergency crews had responded yet, but that made some sense; there was a fire downtown that had most of the first responders’ attention, and this was supposedly an abandoned building after all, certainly not first priority. The amount of vehicles leaving the scene was startling (really? Helicopters?) but with the pattern of strange events lately, Edd couldn’t exactly say he was surprised.

As what seemed like the last of the people exited the scene, a sudden explosion did surprise him; the last of the building was nice and destroyed now. Luckily the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, so most of the smoke and debris flew the opposite way. As the last of the unmarked vans pulled away in a screech, Edd bent down to pick up his packages and continue on his way. In the now relative silence in the aftermath, however, even the slightest of noises was glaringly obvious. Such as, the shift of a beam, a section of wall caving in, or a small cry of pain.

Edd stopped at that last noise, leaving his groceries for the time being. He listened again, straining for that one sound that could matter. Another shifting of debris, as someone strained against them, and another whimper for help. Looking up across the street, Edd paused for the slightest of moments; he was done with adventures wasn’t he? He could just go home, finish that overdue commission, make dinner and chill with Ringo. There was no one left to encourage him to get involved, and if there was someone trapped under there, it was probably one of those armed vigilantes, and that would mean nothing but trouble.

But they were also human (probably), and (probably) didn’t deserve to be left like that. If nothing else, he could call them an ambulance and make sure they got to the hospital alright. Yeah, it was the least he could do. Crossing the abandoned street quickly, Edd drew closer to the rubble, looking for any sign of movement. There: a slight shuffle under that section of drywall, then stillness. Whoever was under there wasn’t calling out anymore, either unconscious or trying to hide their presence. Probably the first. Edd climbed over the debris carefully, trying to avoid the general area where the person might be for fear of hurting them. He pulled off the piece of drywall he had seen move, and bingo: he could see a hand and part of a blue jacket, similar to those the other soldiers had been wearing. The rest of their body was covered by another section of wall and a wooden beam; Edd slowly began to shift these off, not trying to harm the person further. Removing the beam revealed more of the jacket; unlike the other soldiers Edd had seen, this person was wearing their jacket open, with a blue button up shirt underneath. Blood soaked through the shoulder, it looked as though the person had put on the jacket in order to cover up a wound underneath. Lifting off the wall piece, Edd nearly dropped it again when he saw the person’s face. He was wearing glasses, sure, and weird ones at that, but there was no mistaking his identity. Edd dropped the piece of wall to the side. He stepped back for a moment, trying to think this through. Definitely couldn’t just send him to the hospital, this just became a lot more complicated.

* * *

 

Tom blinked, opening his eyes then closing them with a groan. No vision then. If his glasses were destroyed in the explosion… Tord was gonna kill him. But really, at this point, that could be the least of his worries. He tried to move, finding with surprise he was neither under rubble or tied up, which were both the most likely scenarios he would have found himself in. So then, where was he?

More awake now, he tried to get a feel for his surroundings; with a cringe of pain, he remembered about the bullet wound in his right shoulder. Not gonna use that hand then. With the other hand he ran his fingers along the material covering him; felt like a blanket, but the surface he was actually lying on was fairly plush, probably a couch. Not at Red Army base either, but if he was he definitely had some questions about medical protocol. He tried to push himself up, only to drop back onto the cushions; his head was whirling, even without his vision to disorient him. Must have a concussion as well, at least a mild one.

A sudden hand on his chest startled him; he tried to sit up again, only to be pushed back. “What the hell-“

“Quiet.” The voice was calm, but strained; sounded off too, like it wasn’t the user’s usual manner of speech. “I have some questions for you.”

“If you’re looking for information I have none, I’m just a foot soldier.” The lie sounded empty even to Tom, but it was worth a shot.

“Well that must be a lie, based off this wonderful wanted poster I found online.” Shoot. “… Can you not see?”

“Of course I can.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

“…Protocol.”

“Uh huh. Look, I’ll give you back your glasses, but you have to answer a couple questions for me first, and probably some after too.”

“I don’t have to answer anything, you can’t make me.” Tom paused for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to voice this question. “…Do I know you?”

“I didn’t say you could ask me anything.” The voice stopped for a moment. “But yes.”

“Who then-“

“I’m going to ask the questions for now. Who do you work for?”

“How could you not know-“

“Just answer me.”

“Red Army.”

The voice was quiet for a moment, and Tom was a little concerned the person had left; but then he continued, “And who leads Red Army?”

“Red Leader.”

“I know that. What’s his name?”

Tom smirked, although he was feeling fairly nervous now. “No one knows his name, why would you want to know?”

“I already know, I just want to hear you say it. I want to know that you’re aware of what you’ve got yourself into Tom.”

“I’m not- How do you know my name?”

“We established this, we know each other. Now answer my question.”

“…Tord Lyrssen. Now give me my glasses.” Tom held out his left hand expectantly, and after a moment the thick lenses were pressed into his palm. He put them on, flicking the switch on the side to sync them and cringing at the sudden brightness. Once his vision cleared, he looked at his captor/rescuer and nearly had a heart attack. “Edd?!”

“I can’t believe you.” Edd stood up and walked a few paces away, obviously annoyed. “You’re working with Tord?”

“I mean-“ Tom sat up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He realized now he was in an apartment, not very large and assumedly Edd’s. “It’s not- It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Edd paced slightly, a habit Tom realized with a little happiness that had carried over from their old days as roommates. “I did a lot of research on that Red Army thing, guess it makes sense why Tord was hiding a death machine under our house.”

“He wasn’t going to actually use it to attack anyone, just for intimidation and to defend the base if need be.”

“That’s what he told you, right?” Edd rolled his eyes. “Why on earth would you of all people-“

“Look, there’s a reason why I didn’t tell you alright? Can you please try to trust me on this?”

The two men glared at each other for a moment, then Edd sighed. “What’s with the goggles?”

“You remember that time I got hit in the face with a laser?”

“Which time?”

Tom laughed drily. “Exactly. Anyway, went blind, these are the solution.”

“Did Tord make them?”

“…Yes. He owed me a favour. Upside is I can see colour properly now, so there’s that.” Tom glanced down, taking a moment to check the status of his shoulder under his shirt. “Did you bandage this?”

“Yes.”

Tom nodded. “Good job. Is the bullet still in there, or…”

Edd shook his head. “No, went straight through and out the back I guess. Point blank?”

“Heh yeah, got lucky it didn’t end up in my chest.” Tom straightened his back, stretching those muscles that didn’t scream in protest. “How’d you find me anyway?”

“Coincidence, I was walking past the building when it blew up, after the army pulled out I realized there was someone still in the building and came to check. Lucky for you.” Edd took a seat on the other end of the couch, a sign he was calming down. “Why’d they just leave you anyway? From the ransom on your head you seem fairly important.”

“Must’ve thought I was dead. Not the first time, although I hate to disappoint; but it’s the same way they’d treat any officer, even Red Leader, for the good of the army. Logically speaking, why risk the entire force over one soldier?” In an attempt to get more comfortable, Tom leaned back against the couch, favouring his injured shoulder. “Knowing Tord he probably waited till the last second, then made the call.”

“Do you mind telling me what exactly the point of all that was? Why invade an abandoned building?”

“I can’t say much about the mission itself… Basically there were rumours that some of our tech was in there, we were supposed to retrieve it and then destroy the evidence. Which reminds me, did the attack make the news? How long was I out?”

Edd grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table, booting up the screen. “Only a few hours, if there’s news coverage it’d still be on.” He switched to the appropriate channel, but the story being covered was anything but the one they were looking for.

A female reporter stood on a long stretch of grass outside of what looked like a factory building in the middle of nowhere, as helicopters circled the building and what looked like tanks approached the outside wall. “I’m standing here in front of the alleged “Red Army” base, where the group of organized insurgents have been operating for several months.”

Tom sat up, shock evident. “They couldn’t have… How did they find it?!”

As if answering his question, the reporter continued, “After government officials tracked several of the army’s vehicles to this location, the area has been in lockdown for the past three hours. Several weapons have been fired from the building at government vehicles, but after one of our missiles was sent in about an hour ago, there hasn’t been any activity. Military vehicles are on the scene now to investigate.”

“I take it this wasn’t supposed to happen?” Edd glanced sideways at Tom, but Tom didn’t respond, glued to the television.

For the next twenty minutes, barring a commercial break, the news channel covered the expedition into Red Army base. The military broke through the gates easily, and that’s when the real fight began, Red soldiers who had been lying in wait assaulting the tanks and SWAT team in an organized movement. Before long they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers however, and those still alive were arrested and dragged off into the waiting helicopters. There was a tense period of five minutes or so while the building was searched; but no trace of any of the upper officers was found, including Red Leader; additionally a large portion of the army was missing, as only about a hundred soldiers had challenged the government. The rest of the base was deserted, stripped of any information, some rooms burned out entirely, while others were obviously torn apart in an attempt to make it as hard on the government as possible to find anything of use. “There is no sign of the rest of the organization as of yet, but the military is still searching for the method of escape used by the army, as no unit was seen leaving the building in the time in which it has been under watch, since they returned this afternoon. More on this story after local news.”

Tom spoke up suddenly, startling Edd. “Where’s my jacket.”

“Over here, just a sec.” Edd got up and retrieved it from where he had cast it aside at the kitchen table, passing it to Tom. “What are you gonna do?”

Tom didn’t answer, instead rifling through the pockets until he found a cell phone. He opened it quickly, almost frantically, and called the first contact on the list. He put it up to his ear, but only for a moment, before opening up the back of the phone and ripping out the battery. “Fantastic.”

“What was that about?”

“Tord doesn’t have his cell phone on him, which means I can’t contact him to figure out which base they went to.” Tom stood up, too quickly but he ignored the discomfort, and put on the jacket.

“Didn’t someone answer?”

“Yes, but whoever it was wasn’t Tord, Tord always answers in Norwegian, a fact someone pretending to be him wouldn’t know. He must have left his cell behind, and now I can’t use my phone, in case they try to track the signal.” He began to move toward the door, and Edd stood up.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Catch a cab downtown, check one of the safe houses and see if there are any of the recruits hiding there.”

“Don’t you think if they found Tord’s phone, they found other intel too? Who says there won’t be government agents waiting for you there?”

Tom ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. “There’s nothing else I can do, out here I’m a sitting duck. There are people relying on me, the least I can do is try.” He laid a hand on the doorknob.

“I’m coming with you.” Edd grabbed his car keys and approached Tom, who was staring at him in disbelief.

“No. This has nothing to do with you Edd. It’s bad enough, as much as I appreciate it, that you picked me up.”

“You’re right, I’m regretting it already. But as it stands, you have no resources, no way to contact anyone, and you’re injured, so there’s no way I’m letting you go alone.” Edd shrugged. “Plus, it’s been pretty boring around here lately, I could do with getting out of the house.”

“You’re way too nice, you know that?”

“Not nice. Just bored. Now come on, let’s go find your clubhouse or whatever.” The pair headed out of the apartment, the slow drone of the TV filling the silence they left behind.


	2. That Green Gentleman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait there's more? Oh man there's more!  
> The story continues, with a trip to one of the Red Army's many bases.

“Don’t you think that jacket is a little conspicuous?” Edd asked as they headed out of the apartment. 

“More suspicious than my bloody shoulder, or less?” Tom rolled his digital eyes. He had pulled the bright blue military garb back on almost immediately. “It’s not like we’re going to avoid attention at this point, I am kind of extremely wanted.” 

“Oh for pete’s- here.” Edd darted back into the apartment, coming back with a dark grey hoodie. “Give me that, pull this on.” He tossed the jacket back into his home while Tom struggled with the hoodie; he got his left side and head in fine, but his damaged shoulder was failing to comply. 

“Uhm, a little help?” 

It was Edd’s turn to roll his eyes, but nevertheless he stopped to aid his companion, sliding the damaged arm into the sleeve none to gently but effectively. “Better?” 

Tom stopped to take a look down, shoving the last couple belongings from his coat into the pocket. “Not my colour, but effective.” He swung the hood up, covering his spiked hair better than could be anticipated. “You got a car then?” 

“Yep, how far is this base?” 

Tom thought for a moment as they headed down the hall. “It’s in downtown London, near the Eye if that helps. I know how to get there once we’re going, just not the exact address…” 

“Ever inspiring confidence.” 

“Well it’s not exactly my department-“ Tom fell silent as they passed another resident on the stairs, averting his gaze downward in an attempt to avoid attention. It certainly didn’t seem to work however, as the passerby stared unabashedly for several moments at the electronics covering Tom’s face before continuing on. “Crap.” 

“Maybe you should take those off for now, until we get to the car at least? I’m parked like a block away.” 

“What, and be blind?” 

“Better than arrested, isn’t it?” 

Tom let out a grumble, but undid the strap holding his ‘eyes’ in place anyway, shoving the device in his pocket. “There.” He looked blankly at Edd, holding out his hand expectantly. “Lead on.” 

Edd nodded, then realized that was a bit silly. He took Tom’s arm, continuing down the stairs more slowly now, while muttering directions. “Okay turn… there’s a stairwell here, three steps until more stairs…turn again…alright, we’re heading outside.” He opened the door, guiding both of them through despite the stares of the receptionist, and turning out onto the street. 

The sudden noise of cars and people seemed to put Tom on edge; he gripped Edd’s arm a little more tightly, gaze downward and seemingly focused on his steps. “How much further?” he muttered. 

“Just a block or so, we’re about to cross the street.” 

Tom nodded, blinking slowly. His eyes were… different, than Edd remembered, certainly. Instead of the jet black they had always been, they were more grey, turned even lighter around the edges. Light scarring seemed to surround them, making it a severe contrast to the fairly cool and collected expression made with the goggles. A little concerned, Edd wondered how much of what Tom put out was a façade. 

They reached the car, Edd positioning Tom’s good hand onto the passenger-side door handle, then moving across the car to his own. As soon as he was inside Tom put back on the goggles, tapping the power button almost frantically it seemed, then letting out a breath at the return of his sight. “Alright…” 

Edd started up the engine, glancing back at Tom sarcastically. “You okay? After all, that was a real scary five-minute walk.” 

“Shut up.” Tom shook his head, then took to examining the streets as Edd pulled away. “Alright, I think I know where we are. Turn right up here, we’re actually not that far out. I didn’t realize you moved downtown.” 

“Yeah, couple years after you… left.” Taking the turn, Edd determinedly kept his eyes where they were headed. “It was good for me.” 

“That’s… good.” Tom hesitated a moment. “Did Matt go with you?” 

“No, he got a job with a modelling agency or something? And the old place was closer to that, more convenient I guess.” Edd shrugged. “Do I keep going straight, or…” 

“Yeah, a few more blocks.” They fell into silence for a few minutes, each absorbed with their own task apparently. Edd at least just had no idea what he was supposed to say. “Alright, turn left here… and park wherever, we can walk the rest.” 

Edd followed the directions, taking a spot in a mostly vacant lot out back of a housing complex. It was a bit of a rundown area to say the least, the streets deserted and dirty, and most of the storefronts seemed deserted. Tom stepped out of the vehicle with more confidence certainly; there was no need to take off the goggles this time, with no one around to see. He led the way down the side street, turning down another small alley and stopping in front of a small consignment shop. It did look unsuspicious, just another one of the shops in the area; there was even a clerk inside, who didn’t seem to notice the visitors lurking outside. Tom frowned when he saw this; pressing his face up against the window, he rapped on the glass twice, the sharp knocks startlingly audible in the quiet area. Still the employee didn’t look up. 

Edd glanced from them to Tom, trying to get a read on what was going on. “…So?” 

“That’s a really bad sign…” Tom muttered, now going for the door handle. It turned, unlocked, and the pair entered. Tom headed straight for the worker, heading behind the counter and reaching for the clerk’s neck. Noticing Edd’s shocked look, he tapped their face, revealing they still had no reaction. “It’s a robot, nothing more. Just a security checkpoint. But,” he continued, inspecting its back, “it’s not turned on. Could be just needing maintenance, but this is a pretty upkept safe point, there’s usually someone in.” 

“So… someone deactivated it?” 

“Or it was just shut off because the base has been abandoned… Shit.” Tom hurried out from behind the counter, instead heading to a tall rack full of what looked like dresses at the side of the store. Motioning for Edd to follow, he stepped through into a short hallway ending in a steel door that had been hidden behind. “Just a sec, hopefully my codes still work… bingo.” The door swung open, leading into a darkened room. With the flick of a switch the room came to life, obviously just a surveillance and command center, with other doors that must have lead to barracks and other amenities. Switchboards and monitors started booting up, and Tom approached one in particular, grabbing a pair of headphones from beside the board and flicking a switch. Volume monitors lit up, and Tom listened intently for a moment before tapping another. “The coms are dead,” he murmured, pulling the headphones out and allowing static to fill the room. “They must have already switched over to a new wavelength…” 

“What does that mean?” Edd asked, already wondering why he was even still here. Didn’t seem like he was quite necessary at this point. 

“It means I can’t contact anyone. But, there might be an old transmission logged still, let’s see how careful they were when this place was purged…” He tapped some commands into a nearby computer monitor, then tapped the result. Immediately garbled words filled the room, at a far unnecessary volume. Scrambling for the volume, Tom turned it way down, then added some other bit of code to the growing line of text on the screen. The transmission shifted, changing to discernible words, albeit staticky still. 

_“-all troops to respond, execute route 8-9-4, cleanse and destroy- do not attempt recovery, repeat, follow route 8-9-4- zed squad, 6-9-9, delsten, 4-7, red 8 to 6-4-2…_ ” The voice droned on, repeating meaningless phrases and order numbers. 

Edd listened, not understanding a word, but Tom seemed to get at least part of the message. When it started to repeat, he tapped another few commands in, but no other results popped up. “Alright, okay… I can work with that.” 

“Work with what, exactly?” 

“An order was put in just after the base was compromised I think, just standard reorganizing squads and such, but at least I know which bases they’re at now. There’s one only a day from here, I think-“ Tom fell silent suddenly, holding up a hand in surprise. “Did you hear that?” 

Edd shook his head, but Tom moved past him towards the still open door, peering through the wall of dresses and into the store beyond. Everything looked just as they had left it… until the front door opened suddenly, multiple people crowding in. Biting back a shout, Tom crept back into the bunker, closing and locking the door. “That’s really bad…” 

“Why, it’s probably just some of your soldiers, isn’t it?” 

“Uh, no, it probably isn’t at all… but it’s okay! They can’t know about the bunker!” 

A sudden smash of some blunted object hitting the sealed entrance startled them both into seeing the thinly-veiled truth- they or the bunker or both had been compromised. “Alright, they could, they definitely might know…” Tom stuttered. 

“Are we trapped?!” 

“No? No! There is another way, uhm… this way.” Tom led Edd towards one of the far doors, then paused. Reaching into his pocket for his blaster, he emptied several shots into the control panels in the room, watching with satisfaction as they crumpled and sparked under the force. “Gotta destroy the evidence.” Another crash from the door reminded him of their urgency, and he pulled Edd onwards into the dark hallway. 

Motion-sensored lights followed their flight across the small base, as the duo rushed past weapons lockers, empty labs, and dorms. The bangs from behind didn’t cease, each echoing louder across the deserted bunker. They hurried down a flight of stairs, then into what looked like a maintenance hall, that twisted and turned for at least a hundred feet, slowly climbing back up towards the surface. It came to an end suddenly however, as Tom screeched to a halt before the blank wall and Edd crashed into his back. “What’s the hold up?!” 

“I’ve just gotta find the pressure-point, give me a sec-“ Tom began feeling along the wall, running his hand across the cement surface. 

Edd took this time to take a breath; well, more like a wheeze. He was definitely more out of shape than Tom was, unaccustomed to sudden bouts of running. After a moment, he spoke up again. “They’ve stopped hitting the door.” 

Tom hesitated a moment, listening. In the silence, it was true; the raucous crashing of the door had stopped. But in its stead, there was the quick but still audible thumping of feet dashing to and fro echoing throughout the halls. “That’s worse, alright we’ve got to get goinggg” Finally finding whatever he was looking for, Tom smacked the end of his gun against the wall, triggering a panel to swing open like a door out onto the street. The pair clambered out into the daylight, just as a shout came from behind them. Tom slammed the chunk of wall closed, allowing it to fuse back with the building and leave them in the bustling street. Already there were a few odd looks being pointed their way, not to mention the threat of the intruders figuring how to work the trapdoor. With barely a look at each other, Tom and Edd strode off down the street, not in any particular direction, Tom stowing the gun and his goggles away in his pocket as they walked. 

“Well, I guess we should cut to the _chase-_ “ 

“Edd, no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's been forever, but look! This story is getting a continuation!   
> Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see in the future, this story is pretty wide open as far as planning goes, I only know where everyone is going to end up :')  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this with the intention of it being a one-shot; but honestly, I could write a whole series following this idea. Let me know if you'd like to see more! :)  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
